This present invention relates to a ground water monitoring well and more particularly to an improved lid retainer therefor.
Ground water monitoring wells are routinely used in areas where ground water contamination can occur. Such locations include, but are not limited to, solid waste landfills, chemical plant factories, gas stations, areas where storage tanks (above or underground) are placed, and other locations where there is a potential for spills or leaks of hazardous or toxic substances (hereafter referred to as hazardous substance) and concomitant exposure onto or into the ground. At such locations, to ensure that ground water has not been contaminated by the hazardous substances, ground water monitoring wells (environmental monitoring wells) have been installed.
These wells are adapted to collect ground water from below the surface and hold it therein for testing. Testing is conducted regularly to ensure the quality of the underground water table generally used as a drinking water supply or other similar uses associated with living matter. Regularly testing or sampling of the ground water provides an early indication of contamination or the onset of contamination. The ability to detect a potential contamination problem at its incipient stage permits the responsible authorities to act immediate to curtail continued contamination and facilitates remedial action.
Typically, these monitoring wells have holding tanks or housing units which are inserted into the ground. They are encased in concrete. A monitoring member or pipe-like structure projects from the bottom of the housing, through the concrete, and further down into the surface of the earth. Generally, these monitoring members have a plurality of apertures or slits thereon to permit passage of water into the monitoring member for collection therein for sampling.
Because of the ramifications associated with test results which reveal contaminants, accuracy of testing is important. The ground water sample must not be contaminated from any source other than that which comes from the ground water. The integrity of the monitoring well, therefore, must be maintained at all times or else the tests may yield inaccurate results and thereby cause unnecessary concern, reaction, and remediation costs. Potential contaminants must be kept from entering the monitoring well. To this end, these monitoring wells have lids which form water-tight seals when seated and tightened down. Fasteners such as bolts insert through the lid and fasten to a cooperating nut or other receiving member suited for the intended purpose. The receiving member is generally fixedly attached to and is an integral part the inner surface of the housing. In many monitoring wells, the receiving member is a tab-like structure connected to the inner surface of the housing. The tab-like structure contains the receiving member; generally a threaded hole to receive a bolt with corresponding threads.
Since these monitoring wells are in the ground they are exposed to the environment and all the perils associated therewith. They may be walked on, driven on, or even vandalized. More typically at a setting such as a gas station, they are, more likely than not, driven over repeatedly. Proper seating requires that the lid fastener be fully seated and flush with the lid's upper outer surface or recessed therein. This will prevent damage to the tab-like receiving member should a vehicle drive over the monitoring well and the lid fastener. If a lid fastener is not fully and properly seated, however, it will protrude from the lid's upper outer surface. In this condition, the weight and pressure produced by objects (such as cars and trucks) driving over the exposed and protruding fastener transfers that pressure downward to its cooperating tab-like receiving member. The receiving member could become damaged or break completely off the inner surface of the housing and thereby adversely affect and breach the water-integrity of the monitoring well. It is extremely costly to repair a monitoring well of this type which is damaged in this matter. Generally, the entire well must be removed and replaced. In many cases this includes replacing the concrete encasing. No other means currently exists to simply repair or replace the damaged tab-like receiving member in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Other monitoring wells have been configured to deal with this problem by not using tab-like receiving members or by making the receiving member more sturdy. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,590 issued on Mar. 23, 1993, to Kenner; U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,957 issued on Apr. 30, 1991, also to Kenner; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,149 issued on Nov. 20, 1990, to Roberts. Although these patents are suited for the intended purpose, they do not account for the many monitoring wells currently in place and being used which have tab-like receiving members of the type described above and which, if damaged, are costly to repair. The present invention provides an alternative to replacing the entire monitoring well when the tab-like receiving members have been damaged. None of the prior art patents and devices provide for such flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are to:
a. provide a low-cost means to repair existing monitoring wells having tab-like receiving members; PA1 b. provide a low-cost alternative to replacing an entire monitoring well when such monitoring well's tab-like receiving members are damaged or broken; and PA1 c. to maintain the water-tight integrity of existing monitoring wells without undue expense or time expenditure.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.